THE WISH OF AN IMMORTAL Chapter 1
by UkyoRafa
Summary: A story about Ukyo Kuonji and her encountering with a supernatural being... my first fic.


Most of the characters mentioned here are property of Rumiko Takahashi from the Ranma ½ series, such as Ukyo, Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, Kasumi, Kuno, Nabiki, and the other Furinkahn students.  
  
THE WISH OF AN INMORTAL  
  
Chapter One: The First Appearance  
  
It was around 8:30 P. M. in the region of Nerima. It was raining. And it was cold. Thunder roared. The wind blew hard. And a shadowy figure wandered through the streets. If you looked at it well, you could barely see its eyes... the eyes of a ruined... creature. The shadow walked about the Nerima region, unseen... unfelt... undead.  
  
Ucchan's was about to close. It had been a hard and long day for Ukyo. She had had many, many costumers in her restaurant today. Rain fell hard outside. And she only had one costumer left.  
  
"... Horrible weather, isn't it?" asked the man.  
  
Ukyo looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Yes, it is, sir. I don't like this kind of rain much," she said.  
  
The man took a zip of his glass of water.  
  
"I better hurry. I don't want to keep your mom and your dad waiting for you to get home." said the man.  
  
Ukyo didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head away from the man and looked sadly at the counter. Ukyo thought of her dear Ran - Chan.  
  
* What wouldn't I give to have at least him to wait for me * she thought.  
  
"How much is it?" asked the man.  
  
Ukyo turned her head again. Trying to smile, and to hide her sadness, she said:  
  
"That'll be 500 yens, sir"  
  
The man took out his wallet.  
  
"Here are 600 yens. 500 for the food and the rest is your tip"  
  
Ukyo took the money. Grateful, she said thanks.  
  
After the man left, Ukyo began to get ready to close. She cleaned her hands and she arranged her hair a little bit. It had been a heavy day.  
  
The rain continued outside. And as time went by, the rain grew stronger and stronger. Ukyo got outside just to put the "closed" sign. She was getting ready to get back in, but suddenly, something caught her attention.  
  
In the deep night, she managed to see a shadow. And the shadow could see her. The creature began to move closer. Ukyo, ready and alert, reached for her giant spatula. But as the thing moved closer, she could slowly tell what the thing was.  
  
It was a dog. A very big dog. Or so she thought. Ukyo wasn't sure if what was standing in front of her was a dog or a wolf. Either way, she chose to put down her weapon and go near the animal. Rain began to fall on her, but she did not care. She wanted to see the creature closely. Something about it was not normal. And Ukyo wanted to find out what it was.  
  
As Ukyo got closer, the animal started to whimper. Ukyo stopped, and looked at the thing. Though there is hardly a human being who can tell what animals are feeling just by looking at their faces, Ukyo noticed something in the animal's eyes. She couldn't explain what she knew. But she knew that the creature was sad and lonesome. Just as she was.  
  
"Hey... don't be scared. I'm just your friend. Come on, boy. Come on" said Ukyo, trying to calm down the scared thing.  
  
The dog... or wolf stared at Ukyo. It whimpered even more.  
  
Ukyo tried to talk to it again:  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you, sugar. Come on. You seem to have nowhere to go. Come on inside and I'll get you something to eat"  
  
The creature did something unexpected. It began to howl. It howled over and over. And by the sound and the intensity of the howls, Ukyo could tell that this animal was, indeed, a wolf.  
  
The wolf paused it's howling to give Ukyo one last, sad glance. And then, just like that, it took off into the night. It ran so fast and so swiftly, that Ukyo didn't even bother to go after it.  
  
She stayed there, in the rain and on her knees.  
  
"What's a wolf doing in a place like this? And... what could've happened to it? What could've upset it so much?" said Ukyo to herself.  
  
It was no use thinking about it any longer. The rain was growing stronger. Ukyo got inside her restaurant, and went into her room. She bathed, she got dressed, and then she went to bed. But she couldn't get any sleep. The look of that wolf had filled her head with thoughts. The thoughts attacked her mind over and over again. She spent the whole night awake, and early in the morning, all those questions she had, all those questions without answers tired her out, and she fell into a deep sleep.  
  
The sun was already out when Ukyo woke up. It was hot. Yawning, Ukyo glanced at her clock. It was 3:20 p.m.  
  
"Oh, damn!!" said Ukyo as she got out of bed.  
  
"Damn, damn, damn!! What a jackass!" Ukyo continued to curse herself for missing school. After all, today was her math test.  
  
"What am I going to say tomorrow? That I didn't wake up in time? Oh, man!" Ukyo fell to her knees and put her hand in her forehead.  
  
At that very moment, the phone rang.  
  
"Oh, great." She said to herself.  
  
As she answered, she heard a familiar voice replying her greeting.  
  
"Ran - Chan!" she yelled excitedly.  
  
"Hi Ucchan." Replied Ranma Saotome. "How are you?" he asked.  
  
"Great! Just great Ran - chan!" she said happily, forgetting every single thing that happened to her in the night.  
  
".Great?" asked a confused Ranma. "If you are feeling so good, how come you didn't come to school today? After all, today was our math test, remember?"  
  
"Yes, I know, I know, but I fell asleep. My alarm clock didn't wake me up." replied Ukyo.  
  
Ranma stayed silent for a moment and then asked ".And why is that? It's the first time that you ever miss school for that reason."  
  
Confused by Ranma's words, Ukyo said "Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"Something must've tired you out, Ucchan" Ranma insisted. "Something happened to you. Come on, you can tell me."  
  
Ukyo began "No, no, no, really. Nothing happened, Ran - Chan. I'm just fi-" Ukyo stopped short as the event that took place last night came to her head.  
  
* The wolf * she thought.  
  
".Ucchan? Still there?" asked Ranma.  
  
"Yeah, I'm still there. I mean, here." Said Ukyo.  
  
"Are you sure you are alright?" asked Ranma with concern.  
  
"Actually. something did happen last night" answered Ukyo.  
  
"Really? What was it?" Ranma sounded interested.  
  
Ukyo stood quiet for a moment, and then said: "I can't tell you by the phone. We need to meet."  
  
Ranma immediately said: "Can you come to my house today?"  
  
"I think so" said Ukyo.  
  
"At what time?" Ranma asked insistently.  
  
".Any time, I guess" answered Ukyo.  
  
"Great. I'll meet you in two hours." Said Ranma excitedly. And with that, he hung up.  
  
It was 5:40 when Ukyo reached the Tendo's house. Ranma was waiting for her at the door. Akane was next to him. and she didn't look very happy at all. Ukyo tried not to argue with her, since they were good friends and Ukyo wasn't feeling in the mood to have a discussion.  
  
Ukyo and Ranma went up to Ranma's room, but Akane followed and said angrily:  
  
"Something I should not know about, huh? What's your cute fiancé going to tell you that I must not know about Ranma?"  
  
Ranma, who was starting to get mad, turned around and replied:  
  
"Akane, stop teasing her already! Mind your own business, you stupid tomb-"  
  
Before Ranma could finish, Ukyo stopped him by saying:  
  
"It's alright, Ranma. Akane, you can come in too. Besides, the more people there are, the safer I will feel."  
  
Akane's face changed from anger to concern.  
  
Worried, she asked:  
  
".What's wrong Ukyo?"  
  
".Let's just go inside and I'll let you know" replied Ukyo.  
  
As soon as the three of them were in the room and the door was locked, Ukyo began to tell her story.  
  
Ranma and Akane listened carefully, as Ukyo told them about the wolf. She told them how she got close to it. and how it began to howl in such a desperate way. And she told them about the wolf's eyes. which seemed so rare and yet so. human.  
  
As soon as Ukyo finished her story, Ranma stood up, his face filled with disappointment.  
  
"Ukyo. are you meaning to tell us that you couldn't get any sleep at all, because you saw one dog."  
  
"Wolf" interrupted Ukyo.  
  
"Whatever" Ranma continued ".a wolf that began to howl like crazy because you got close to it and had strange eyes??"  
  
Ukyo looked at Ranma for a moment, and then said: ".Yes. That's what I've come to tell you."  
  
Ranma threw his arms up in the air and said:  
  
"WHY? Why would you let a dog, excuse me. a 'wolf', bother you so much? Just because it had strange eyes? Ukyo. that's stupid!"  
  
Just then, Ranma felt a strong blow in the back of his head. It was Akane, who had kicked him.  
  
"Ranma, you jerk." She said.  
  
Ukyo just sat there, without saying a word. Tears began to fill her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ran - Chan. Maybe your right, is just that." she paused for a moment and bit her lip, "it's just that I've been working for so long, and I'm. I'm."  
  
She covered her face with her hands.  
  
Ranma, realizing his mistake, knelt and tried to calm her down.  
  
".Ucchan, I'm sorry. Please, don't cry. I'm a fool. I really didn't know what I was saying."  
  
Akane also knelt beside Ukyo.  
  
"Please, Ukyo, calm down." Akane said, as she put her and on Ukyo's shoulder. Ukyo embraced Akane and tried to stop her crying.  
  
"I don't know what to do." she began.  
  
"Hush" said Akane.  
  
Ranma, who was already on foot, said:  
  
"If there's anything we can do to make you feel better Ukyo, please tell us."  
  
Ukyo just kept her head buried in Akane's clothes, without saying a word.  
  
Seeing Ukyo so desperate was not pleasant to Ranma. He began to think of a way to make Ukyo feel better. Then he found the answer, and smiled to himself.  
  
He knelt beside Ukyo. And then he whispered in her ear:  
  
"I'll help you find that wolf."  
  
Ukyo stopped her crying for a moment. Then, she turned around and faced Ranma.  
  
".You will?" she asked sobbing.  
  
"I sure will" answered Ranma with a smile.  
  
A smile spread on Ukyo's face as she wiped her tears.  
  
"Promise?" she asked.  
  
Ranma returned Ukyo's smile by one of his own. Then he said:  
  
"I promise."  
  
"WE promise" added Akane smiling.  
  
Ukyo looked at Akane and giggled.  
  
".Thank you" she said.  
  
Ranma stood up.  
  
"But first." he began "we have something more important to do first."  
  
Ukyo looked at him puzzled.  
  
".What is it?" she asked.  
  
Ranma chuckled, and then he said:  
  
"We must find a VERY GOOD excuse."  
  
Akane chuckled along with Ranma. Ukyo was still puzzled.  
  
"Because." Ranma continued "you missed school. The very same day of the test."  
  
Ukyo didn't miss school the next day. It was noon when she was showing her math teacher a medical certificate.  
  
"So." the teacher said "bronchitis?"  
  
"Yes, sir" replied Ukyo.  
  
The medical certificate, as guessed, was fake.  
  
The day before, after Ukyo left the Tendo's house, Ranma and Akane went to see Dr. Tofu. but they took Kasumi with them. And as Dr. Tofu tried to serve tea to Kasumi, Ranma and Akane found some medical certificate forms and Ranma filled one out. After that, he and Akane left. leaving Kasumi to take care of Dr. Tofu, who had ran into a wall. three times.  
  
*Man, I hope he's doing all right by now.* thought Ukyo. After all, Ranma and Akane had to tell her how they got the certificate.  
  
The math teacher kept on studying the certificate.  
  
"It's strange," he said "this handwriting seems so familiar."  
  
Ukyo gulped. "R - R - Really, sir?" she stammered.  
  
"Yes," said the teacher ".an awful handwriting."  
  
Ukyo looked away and thought:  
  
* Maybe Akane should've filled out the certificate instead of Ranma. *  
  
"Well" said the teacher "thank you very much, Mrs. Kuonji. Here's your test. Begin now, please."  
  
The teacher handed the math test to Ukyo.  
  
"Y - Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" she said as she took the test and went back to her seat.  
  
Ukyo finished the test at 1:00 p.m. She got an A.  
  
"It was a really easy test." Said Ukyo to Ranma and Akane. "It was very long, that's all"  
  
"Well, tell that to Mr. Genius, who got a C+" said Akane, as she eyed Ranma.  
  
"Akane, please. shut up." Scolded Ranma. Akane could do nothing but laugh.  
  
"So." began Ukyo ".when are you guys gonna start to help me in finding the wolf?"  
  
Ranma and Akane looked at each other.  
  
".You are gonna help me, right?" insisted Ukyo.  
  
"Of course!" replied Akane and Ranma at the same time.  
  
Ranma cleared his throat a little bit, and then started:  
  
"We will begin to look for it right after school. Since it was near Ukyo's restaurant, we will have to take different directions to try to locate it. I'll warn you now, Ukyo. That wolf could be very far by now."  
  
Ukyo nodded without saying a word.  
  
"Is that alright with you, Akane?" asked Ranma.  
  
"Yes" replied Akane.  
  
"Well then, it's settled." Said Ranma.  
  
As soon as the school ended, Akane, Ranma, Ukyo went to Ukyo's restaurant.  
  
When they reached it, they stayed outside the restaurant for a few minutes.  
  
"Alright now. let's go!" exclaimed Ranma.  
  
And then, they took off.  
  
When Ranma, Akane, Ukyo returned to Ucchan's, they all found out that they all had had a bad hunting.  
  
Ranma ran into Shampoo, who kept on teasing him to stay and try some new recipes she had learned. Ranma argued that he couldn't take Shampoo off of him. As a matter of fact, Ranma's story didn't quite please Akane and Ukyo.  
  
Akane was followed by Kuno, who had been teasing her all evening. Akane had to beat him up, and that delayed her. This story didn't please Ranma.  
  
Ukyo had no trouble in looking. The problem was that she found nothing.  
  
"Well." Ranma began ".guess we'll have to look for it tomorrow"  
  
"No, Ran - Chan." Said Ukyo. "I don't want to cause anymore problems. You don't have to worry. We looked for it. you kept your promise."  
  
"Hey, I promised to FIND that wolf, not to look for it." Replied Ranma. "So I haven't fulfilled my promise yet."  
  
"And neither have I" added Akane.  
  
Ukyo looked at Ranma and Akane and smiled.  
  
"Thanks guys" she started "I'm really grateful to you both. so tomorrow?"  
  
"Tomorrow!" exclaimed Ranma. Akane nodded.  
  
Ranma and Akane waved at Ukyo as they left for home. Ukyo knew that they probably wouldn't find the wolf. but she was very happy, because her friends had helped her. She slept very steadily that night.  
  
Ranma and Akane did come over to Ukyo's restaurant to continue the search. They found nothing. However, they agreed to search for the wolf a few more times. Nothing. They found nothing at all.  
  
"I'm sorry that I couldn't fulfill my promise" said Ranma to Ukyo after the last search.  
  
"Ran - Chan, don't you worry!" replied Ukyo as she smiled at Ranma "You helped me look for it, and that's all that matters! And the same goes for you, Akane."  
  
Akane smiled to Ukyo and said:  
  
"Thanks"  
  
Ukyo then invited Ranma and Akane to lunch. She cooked them her specialty.. Okonomiyaki.  
  
The days passed and there was no sign of the wolf at all. Ukyo had almost forgotten all about it. And when she did remember it, it had no importance whatsoever to her now. But one day, something strange happened. the most bizarre thing took place. 


End file.
